Defining "guided design" as a method of teaching students how to use problem solving techniques to analyze and solve issues related to the course material, this paper examines the use of the technique in communication speech course. The paper provides information on the development and application of the principles of guided design to various academic disciplines, particularly speech communication. Special emphasis is placed on the first unit of a guided design course, which introduces the 11 steps in decision making that can be applied, with some modification, to any academic or work situation. A guided design unit on communication apprehension is appended to illustrate how the method increases the learning of the principles of communication theory. (RL)